Advancements in technology have permitted the development, production, and sale of many new types of consumer electronic devices. Many types of consumer electronic devices are now available that are capable of processing data at high processing rates and of communicating data at high throughput rates. And, circuit miniaturization permits such devices to be packaged in increasingly smaller housings so as to be portable, such as permitting the devices to be hand carried by a user.
A mobile station is exemplary of a consumer electronic device whose construction and operation has been made possible as a result of advancements in technology. A conventional mobile station, operable in a cellular communication system, is typically of a size and weight permitting a user to carry the mobile station in a shirt pocket, readily available for use by a user to receive or to originate telephonic calls.
Cellular mobile stations are constructed to operate in conformity with operating protocols of an appropriate operating specification. Successive generations of operating specifications have been promulgated, taking advantage of advancements in technologies, in mobile stations constructed to be operable in such successive generations of cellular communication systems. While early-generation cellular communication systems, and mobile stations operable therein, provided voice capabilities and limited data communication capabilities, successor-generation systems increasingly provide for high speed data communication services. New-generation systems, for instance, are capable of communicating significant amounts of data at high data throughput rates.
Digital representations of songs, and other content, for instance, are sometimes relatively lengthy. New-generation cellular communication systems are of capabilities permitting communication of files of sizes corresponding to those of the digital representations. Various mobile stations have been constructed, capable not only of receiving data corresponding to the audio content, but further permitting the storage of the data and its playback at the mobile station. The audio content forms, for instance, MP3-formatted content, and the mobile stations include MP3 players that permit the playback of the content.
When operated in this manner, the playback of the audio content is converted into acoustic form by an acoustic transducer, such as the speaker part of the mobile station. The speaker part of the mobile station, while generally quite adequate for purposes of voice communications, typically is of limited range of operation and output power. The resultant audio quality of audio content, such as a song, is generally relatively poor.
To provide for improved audio quality, external speakers of better acoustic performance are sometimes connected to, or placed in communication connectivity with, the mobile station. The external speakers provide, for instance, increased power output levels, permitting higher volume levels, and improved tonal qualities. The external speakers are provided with the signals generated pursuant to playback of the content file, and the external speakers convert the signals into acoustic form. Other consumer electronic devices that provide for playback of content files also are permitting of use of external speaker sets. And, the external speakers are sometimes paired to form a speaker set, capable of stereophonic operation.
The external speakers are connectable to the mobile station by way of a connecting cable. When the mobile station includes a short-range transceiver, such as a Bluetooth™ transceiver, a corresponding transceiver positioned together with the speakers permits formation of a wireless connection that obviates the need for the connecting cable.
A mobile station capable of playing back stored content and capable of conventional telephonic operation must be capable of operating both in a mode in which the content file is played out and in a mode in which the mobile station operates normally pursuant to telephonic communications. The mobile station must be capable of switching its operation between the separate modes.
For instance, when the mobile station is operated to play out a content file, and, while the content file is playing out, a terminating call is received at the mobile station, the user of the mobile station must be able to switch operation of the mobile station out of the content playback mode and into a normal telephonic mode. A switch or actuation key of the mobile station generally provides for the switching between the separate modes of operation. If the user is positioned proximate to the mobile station, the user is able easily to cause the mode of operation of the mobile station to be switched.
However, if the content is played out on a speaker set that is positioned remote from the mobile station, such as by way of a Bluetooth™ connection between the speaker set and the mobile station, the existing need for a user of the mobile station to move to the mobile station and actuate the actuation key or switch to change the mode of operation of the mobile station, such as to accept the terminating call, might well be inconvenient.
If an improved manner could be provided by which better to permit a remote speaker set to be used in conjunction with a mobile station, improved user convenience of operation would be provided.
It is in light of this background information related to consumer electronic devices that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.